Texas A&M Football, Texas ADs believe rivalry game will continue
By Jeff Shull
Texas and Texas A&M football have not faced off since 2011, but their athletic directors say that could happen sooner rather than later.
Texas A&M Football has not played the University of Texas in that sport since A&M left for the SEC. The baseball matchup in the NCAA tournament has the question popping up again: If, or when, will the two play each other in football again?
The SEC and Big 12 each had spring meetings — the SEC in Destin, FL and the Big 12 at Irving’s Four Seasons Resort — so, naturally, the topic was brought up to each of the university’s athletic directors. If you believe what they said, this game could happen again very soon.
A&M’s AD Scott Woodward told The News:
“[W]hile the rivalry is great and it’s important, there has to be some timing and scheduling issues that have to be met. And, you know, at the right time and at the right place, I think it will come to fruition.”
Texas’ AD Chris Del Conte expressed similar if not more optimism that the game will continue.
“At some point and time we will pick up our rivalry,” he said. “It’s important to our state and important to our fan base. I’m assuming when it’s appropriate and ready, we’ll play. It’s an opportunity for us to do that. We’d like to do that, it’s just matching up schedules.”
This is good news for fans who care about tradition. It’s not uncommon for in-state rivalries to be played despite two teams being in different conferences. Florida and Florida State, Clemson and South Carolina, Kentucky and Louisville, Georgia and Georgia Tech, Pitt and Penn State, and Iowa and Iowa State are just a few examples of teams who have each other on the schedule every year despite it being a non-conference game.
There are plenty of reasons to have the Texas game back on the schedule. Tradition and history are a major part, but also a tough non-conference win sometimes means the difference between getting into the playoff and being left out.
A&M doesn’t need much help in this regard with a home-and home against Clemson coming up and series against Notre Dame and Miami scheduled for the future, but there are years without that big non-conference game still there.
Reasons to not play the game are mostly lost on me. Some claim Texas soured the relationship when they tried to bully everyone around in the Big 12. We left for the SEC because of that, and I’m glad as heck it happened.
Some claim Texas cheated over the years, others claim A&M has nothing to gain and everything to lose. I’m not disputing any of those claims, I just don’t feel they matter as much as kicking your in-state rival’s ass in the (by a wide margin) most popular sport in the state and country.
Next: 2018 game-by-game Aggie football predictions
If football is a religion in Texas, how can its two largest universities not play each other? Good thing the athletic directors realize this and are working toward bringing it back.
Jeff Shull is the Site Expert for the Gig Em Gazette on FanSided. Follow him on Twitter, and be sure to follow the Gig Em Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.